A Courageous Bride to Bring Him Hope: A Historical Western Romance Book

by Cassidy Hanton

Stopping a random person on the street, Alexander inquired about the coming festivities and got an answer that he’d arrived just in time for an annual fair. He always liked fairs, ever since he was a small boy. The food, the entertainment, the people all excited to be there, he enjoyed it.

  That brightened his mood immensely, especially when a sudden thought came to mind. Will she be there as well?

  He hoped she would.

  Chapter Six

  How did I end up in this situation? Clementine asked herself. Oh, yes, because I do not know how to say no to Viola, she mocked, watching her friend rummage through the wardrobe, trying to find a dress for Clementine to wear for tonight’s dance. Although she had to admit if only to herself, it was nice being pampered once in a while.

  After she was done with work for the day, Clementine went to Viola’s house to get ready, since Viola had to look after Pauline, her eight-year-old daughter. Pauline was the sweetest thing and was really taking her job of mamma’s little helper seriously.

  At some point, Viola shouted in triumph. “I found it,” she announced, pulling out the dress that was securely, tenderly wrapped in a protective cover.

  Clementine held her breath during the reveal. She did not want to hurt Viola’s feelings, as she looked forward to this dance.

  “I want you to wear this tonight,” Viola said, presenting her with the dress and Clementine gasped.

  “It was my mother’s,” Viola explained, and Clementine was genuinely touched.

  The dress was beautiful. It was light blue with details, small embroidery that were all done in darker shades of blue. The bodice was a bit tight, yet the skirt flew more freely. The sleeves were long and almost translucent, the material was very delicate and fine. “I cannot wear this, it’s too pretty,” she said.

  “Do not be daft,” Viola said with finality.

  “You will look beautiful in it, Aunt Clementine,” Pauline complimented.

  “Thank you, dear,” Clementine kissed the girl’s plump cheek.

  “This dress is one of the last things Joe failed to get his hands on and sell,” Viola tried not to sound hurt. Joe was her husband. Still is, she reminded herself. He left Viola and their daughter a while back, and as far as Clementine was concerned, that was the only decent thing he did in his entire life.

  Joe and Clementine’s husband were friends. Steve was the one that introduced him to Viola in the first place. They used to spend all their time in the town saloon, drinking and gambling, and after a night like that, wandering drunk about the city, they would fall asleep on the side of the road. The sheriff would find them like that and throw them in jail to sober up.

  Eventually, Joe was forced to leave town, banned for his many wrongdoings. Viola and Pauline’s life may be difficult since he left, yet it was their own, and Clementine would argue it was far more difficult while Joe was around.

  So good riddance, Clementine thought, focusing on the dress once more. “It’s lovely,” Clementine said honestly.

  “This part is a bit old-fashioned,” Viola pointed at the sleeves and the neckline. “But we can remedy that with some needle and thread.”

  Clementine was feeling horrified, amazed and honored that Viola wanted to alter it. “Are you sure?” she insisted. “It looks like a great deal of trouble for a simple dance.”

  “Nonsense, it is no trouble at all. Besides, this is the only way it can be worn. It doesn’t go with my skin tone,” Viola explained.

  Viola was a natural redhead with freckles on her lovely face and it was true, light blue was not her color. Viola looked marvelous in green, Clementine mused, thinking about how she would get some fine green fabric and make something for Viola as a thank you.

  “All right,” Clementine capitulated. “What about you? What are you wearing?”

  Viola showed her. “One of the customers at The Grand Hotel left it, so one of the maids, Susannah, gave it to me since it was too big for her.”

  The dress looked expensive. “She just left it?” Clementine could not believe her ears. Even though once upon a time both Viola and Clementine had more means than now, they would not be so careless about their things. It must have been some spoiled lady.

  “Yes. So, Susannah took it. I washed it, of course and, it fits me perfectly.”

  Clementine was pleased. “You will look beautiful in it.”

  “I know,” Viola was practically giddy, and Clementine could not help but wonder what got into her friend. “I can’t wait for us to go. I haven’t danced in a long time,” Viola continued, unaware of Clementine’s speculations.

  “I can’t wait to go as well,” Pauline chirped in.

  “You will not,” Viola informed her and that made the little girl pout. “You will be in bed like a good little girl and Mavis will come to watch over you.”

  “But I want to go,” she complained.

  “You will when you get a little bit older,” Clementine tried to reassure her.

  Two women started altering the dress meant for Clementine. The little girl started running around them, grabbing the flower bouquet that stood on the table. She was trying to pin some blossoms to Clementine’s hair and dress.

  “She doesn’t need them on the dress, Pauline,” her mother chastised her, so Pauline pinned some to Clementine's hair. “Thank you, dear, how do I look?” Clementine asked, turning this way and that, giving the girl a look from every angle.

  “You look pretty, aunt Clementine,” Pauline decided, and Clementine smiled.

  “How about you put some in your mamma’s hair so she can be beautiful as well?” she advised.

  The girl stopped and looked at Clementine in deep concentration. “She is mamma, she doesn’t need to be pretty.”

  Clementine burst out laughing while Viola scoffed, pretending to be insulted. “I do not need to be pretty, you say.”

  “No,” Pauline replied simply.

  “Come here you little...” Viola started chasing Pauline around the room as the child screeched and laughed in delight.

  The culmination of excitement occurred when the mother caught the daughter. Pauline petted Viola on the cheeks. “You are my mamma, you already are beautiful,” she announced.

  The moment brought tears to Clementine’s eyes and something squeezed her inside her chest. Would she ever get the opportunity to experience such unconditional love between a mother and a child?

  She had been glad of the lack of children in her marriage to Steve; any child born to them would have suffered just as badly as she had. But now that Steve was gone and the years were ticking by, Clementine couldn’t help but worry that she would never become a mother.

  She had always wanted the chance to look after her own child; h

  “I still want one flower,” Viola told Pauline in a teasing way; the words snapped Clementine from her reverie.

  Pauline giggled, nodding. Altogether, they resumed their preparations.

  “I knew it would suit you well,” Viola announced once Clementine was fully dressed, and her hair was done in an elegant braid, decorated with flowers. “You look beautiful.”

  “You, too,” and it was true. Viola was going to stand out in her dress tonight. Truth be told, thanks to her fiery red hair she always did.

  “We are both ready, which means it’s time for us to go,” she said and eyed Pauline who refused to go to bed until they left.

  Clementine and Viola tucked the little girl into her bed, telling her a bedtime story about lavish balls of old, then waited for Viola’s neighbor Mavis to come and watch over Pauline.

  “Stop dragging your legs,” Viola snapped at her on their way to the main square. The fair started there, and some attractions were located away from the town, on big fields of dried land. Most of their land was dried up, so in a way, their town was ideal for things like this. Clementine scrutinized her friend. There was no timetable for the festivities, there was nothing they could be late to. So why is she so pushy? Even more so than usual, Clementine wondered. What wa
s going on here?

  “I am starting to wonder if you had an ulterior motive for dragging me to this dance,” Clementine said, picking the same word Viola used, on purpose.

  Viola stopped in mid-step to look at her. “Ulterior motive?” She looked as though she had something more to say and reconsidered.

  Clementine couldn’t quite tell in the dusk, however she suspected Viola’s cheeks tuned a bit red. Viola waved with her hand and resumed walking. Clementine followed suit.

  “As far as I can tell,” Clementine continued, conversationally. “There are two possibilities.”

  Viola said nothing so she pressed on. “The first possibility is that you are trying to get rid of me,” Viola looked at her in confusion, not understanding her meaning, so Clementine explained. “Marry me off to some man you know is going to be at the dance.”

  Her father tried something like that a long time ago. It didn’t quite take as it turned out.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Viola instantly replied, clearly thinking about the same thing Clementine did.

  Clementine nodded, with a small smile. “Which brings me to the second possibility.”

  “And that is?” Viola asked with mild interest. She clearly thought Clementine was about to say something even more ridiculous.

  “There will be someone at the party that you wish to meet,” Clementine delivered with precision than watched her friend’s reaction.

  “I do not. Don’t be daft. What a ridiculous idea, I am a married woman. I simply wish for us to have a pleasant evening,” she said all in one breath.

  Just as I thought.

  “I do believe you are protesting too much,” Clementine teased.

  “Your imagination is running wild,” Viola said with such finality, yet without actual heat, in her voice, Clementine knew her friend was not cross at her but merely wishing for the end of this conversation.

  Clementine decided not to press any further tonight. We are all entitled to our secrets, indeed, she reminded herself just the way she did while she had her conversation with Alexander.

  She wondered if she would see him tonight. He’d probably left town. That was a possibility despite his words that he would stay for a while. Plans changed.

  Clementine forgot about all else as they arrived at the city’s biggest annual fair. Despite her previous protests and reluctance, she caught herself enjoying everything the fair had to offer.

  The carnival was beyond fun, the play comical since it involved a small dog. Clementine and Viola laughed and ate candied apples. Her jaw actually started to ache from the laughter.

  After everything they saw, ate, and experienced, if that was the end of their evening, Clementine would be glad Viola made her come. She did not even have to go to the dance. Besides, Clementine did not even know how to dance. But Viola wanted to go dancing.

  The town’s hall was transformed into a dance hall for this evening. Once they had a big tent for this purpose. It proved to be too cold outside so they changed venues. The hall was wide as it was long, and the high ceiling provided nice acoustics not only for the town's government debates but for the band as well.

  Clementine was surprised to see how many people attended and was particularly cheered to see there were tables with refreshments and small snacks in the corners. On a small podium, a band played all the crowd’s favorites.

  “There’s Osmond,” Clementine squeaked, spotting their friend. He was one of the band members playing at this party. He didn’t tell her he was playing, although knowing her usual attitude toward dances, she was not surprised.

  She waved at him, and he waved back with the biggest smile on his face. Osmond adored playing, it did not matter to him where or what; he was simply happy to be there, sharing his love of music with others. Clementine considered that to be a true blessing, to know and be able to live your biggest passion.

  “They cleaned up this place rather nicely,” Viola complimented. In her book, that was high praise.

  “Yes, they did.”

  To Clementine’s utmost shock, Garry appeared in front of them. “Good evening, ladies,” he greeted them. “You both look lovely tonight.”

  “Hello, Garry,” Viola replied. “You look quite dashing yourself.”

  His answering smile was a bit sheepish, as though he was not accustomed to places like this or more festive attires.

  Clementine still couldn’t believe he was there. “What are you doing here? What about the store?” Clementine blurted out, too late realizing she sounded as though she was his boss and not the other way around. In her rudeness, she didn’t even greet him.

  “You do look nice, by the way,” Clementine added in hopes to remedy her mistake.

  Luckily, he did not mind. “Thank you. As for the store, I decided to close it early.”

  Clementine could not believe her ears; he never did that.

  “All our regular patrons are here tonight, anyway,” he explained with a shrug.

  That’s true, she allowed, so his decision did make sense.

  “I did not know you dance,” Viola said to him, changing the subject.

  “I do, and well,” he offered his hand to Viola. “Shall we?”

  She smiled. “We shall.”

  They dashed away, joining other couples in the middle of the hall as the band played one of the quicker dances, leaving Clementine alone.

  She started roaming about, making sure she never got in the way of the dancers, not wanting to get trampled by accident. She observed who came, what people chose to wear.

  She greeted some of the neighbors, genuinely happy to see them. All complimented her on her evening’s attire and Clementine felt a bit self-conscious about all the praise, unaccustomed to it. Drunk men outside the store shouting all kinds of illicit things to her did not count by any means.

  Once she made a full circle, Clementine settled near one of the refreshment tables and simply continued to watch.

  A young man approached her at some point, asking her to dance yet she refused him. She didn’t feel like embarrassing herself out there since she truly did not know how to dance.

  Viola would be highly disappointed with her since she didn’t even try. Clementine was content as she was, happy to watch and occasionally talk with some acquaintances.

  She smiled any time she spotted Viola and Garry twirling, jumping their way across the hall. Garry was not kidding. He truly did know how to dance, and well. Clementine was impressed by his agility and footwork. He made it look so easy. And Clementine was pleased Viola was having such a nice time. She was laughing all the while as Garry skillfully led her across the floor, once in a while saying something into her ear that only made her laugh more.

  Viola needed more of that in her life. Clementine needed that as well.

  Feeling a bit thirsty, she poured herself a glass of punch. Clementine wasn’t much of a drinker, Steve made sure of that, however, one glass every once in a while was acceptable.

  Sipping it, she was pleased to discover that it wasn’t strongly made. In the next instance, Clementine almost choked on her drink, thinking she spotted Herbert walking in.

  No. Not him.

  Truth be told, she wasn’t one hundred percent sure if it was him; she could not see if his nose appeared broken or not. However, one way or the other, it soured her mood. She did not want to spend her evening stressing if he was there, or if he would try to approach her.

  Stop it, Clementine, you are behaving ridiculously. Even if he is here, that has nothing to do with you. Her little pep talk worked.

  “Is the punch that terrible?” a man’s voice to her left asked and Clementine smiled even before she turned to look at him.

  “Good evening, Alexander,” she greeted him as her heart fluttered at the sight of him, immediately forgetting all about Herbert. Or anybody and everything else for that matter.

  Looking at him from head to toe, Clementine was pleased to see he dressed up for the occasion.

  “Good eveni
ng, Clementine,” he replied. “Fancy seeing you here,” he grinned.

  Just like that, Clementine’s evening turned out to be even more eventful.

  Chapter Seven

  Looking at Alexander's clean-shaven face and slicked-back hair, as though he washed it and simply combed it backward, Clementine almost asked him why he did not come to the store again. She refrained though, happy to see him now.

  He cleaned up rather nicely, she observed. Remembering where they were, she started to panic. What would she do if he asked her to dance? Clementine did not want to refuse him, yet there was not a force in nature that would convince her to dance in front of all those people.